The battle for FFA | Socceroos coach | A-League | W-League

A-League clubs didn't act in good faith according to FFV president, while they're challenged to show what they can do

John Stensholt has an opinion piece today saying that the A-League clubs essentially need to show us what they can do. He writes of the 300-page blueprint the clubs have sent to FIFA to show what they could and would do differently. He says that the political battle - via spokesman Greg Griffin - has meant we've heard nothing of their actual plans on what the A-League clubs would do to make the competition better, for example from people such as Paul Lederer and Anthony Di Pietro. There's also another mention of City Football Group's influence - the second in two days - which suggests Stensholt is not that impressed.

Michael Lynch reports that, despite voting with the A-League clubs and NSW Football Federation last Thursday, FFV President Kimon Taliadoros, has given Steven Lowy a possible opportunity for further mediation, even though it's failed for the better part of two years now. Taliadoros wrote a somewhat feisty letter to Greg Griffin saying that he did not believe the A-League clubs had acted in 'good faith' over negotiations and stating that more mediation could allow a negotiated outcome before Christmas. Presumably he means Christmas 2017 but, on the basis of progress to date, one might be forgiven for thinking Christmas 2020.

Richard Hinds writes about how on the one hand, the current regime at FFA chest-beat about the City Football Group arriving on the scene in 2014 as a sign of how successful the A-League is, but on the other, are now bleating overtly and covertly about the 'snake' Simon Pearce who is deputy chairman of the City Football Group and has been instrumental in getting the A-League clubs singing from the same song sheet after years of being done over by Frank Lowy's FFA.

Good to see the Herald-Sun reads our pages for inspiration! Here's their version of what can be expected from a FIFA Normalisation Committee. The original one from us, with original research, is here.

'Meticulous off-field planning paying-off for Socceroos'. Yes, read this before in relation to 2006, 2010 and 2014 - as if other countries do not have the capacity to plan ahead also.

Talking of Socceroos coaches, anyone notice this? Here's an entire story dedicated to the time we defeated France at the Confederations Cup in 2001, with the squad named, but no mention of the coach. Why? Are we now trying to 'air brush' Frank Farina from history? And this was in the days before the promised land of a Lowy-led football revolution too!

A-League

The #SydneyDerby looms this weekend and the one-win Wanderers' Roly Bonevacia says they can surprise Sydney FC ... and many others too.